Who's Paisley? (An Expression of Love)

Richard Ulrich

Who's Paisley? (An Expression of Love)

Richard Ulrich

Drama,
Music

Short

St. Louis

Who's Paisley? A Name, a pattern - she's cocaine and whiskey. She's sunglasses, a guitar and tuxedo - she's a lover living in her shadow and a guilt-ridden father seeking absolution. She's just not herself. A sincere cinematic POV on mental-health - visual pageantry and emotionally raw - Yin & Yang

Who's Paisley? A Name, a pattern - she's cocaine and whiskey. She's sunglasses, a guitar and tuxedo - she's a lover living in her shadow and a guilt-ridden father seeking absolution. She's just not herself. A sincere cinematic POV on mental-health - visual pageantry and emotionally raw - Yin & Yang

51 supporters

71 followers

Green Light

RAISED $6,425

for PRODUCTION

51 supporters, 71 followers

Inclusion Statement

"Who's Paisley?" includes a diverse cast and crew from all walks of life: Military Veterans, POC, Immigrants and the LGBTQ+ are all represented strongly and proudly with ages ranging from 18-60+. Our cast is primarily Female and there is not one character that is a cliche. We are united storytellers

About The Project

Who is Paisley?

Who is Paisley? - The Question

Paisley is an artist. It's hard to see behind the facade.

Her mother passed away two months ago. Her father, Steve, did not attend the funeral.

Steve has reached out to her - maybe to make amends, maybe to start another fight.

Paisley is struggling. Is she who she is? Is she who her father made her? Is she what the drugs make her? Is she her music? Is there a choice? What's the point if there isn't one?

Paisley is in love. She and Louise, star crossed lovers, twin flames, an unparalleled bond. But Paisley is stoic.

The Answer is with Steve

Steve isa conscience-stricken, schizophrenic,Vietnam Veteran. Who he was prevented him from being a good father. Who he is wants to make things right.

Steve is full of regret, Paisley is full of anxiety.

Divided by generations, united by the consequences of their actions.

Who is Paisley?

(An Expression of Love)

The abstract.

We make the abstract literal by talking less and showing brutal honesty and raw moments.

What's the abstract?

Burried underneath our physical realities are abstract ideas and themes that keep us going, the want for more, believing in destiny, believing in choice and believing there is no choice, these thoughts shape the reality we live in. Paisley is a songwriter, she sees the capacity for art in all things but she's an observer that doesn't see her connection to it all. Too busy watching to know that she is effecting. Too busy pondering life and choice to live and make a choice, resulting in an exchange -- Love for Admiration. Quick Highs for True Experience.

Paisley is in a surreal state of mind, and we intend to show it literally.

Jenna McDonald on playing Paisley:

"Paisley is a person who has a lot of walls up, and she put on a façade with everyone she knows, but especially the people closest to her. I feel like I can very much relate to Paisley because I also put up a façade with my loved ones because I don’t want anyone to worry about me. Paisley acts super cool, and hides behind drug use in order to run away from her true issues but I think deep down she is in a lot of agony. I think a lot of our society right now is struggling with mental health issues and it’s very difficult to know how to go about dealing with them, or asking for help, and Paisley is no different. I think it’s important to share stories about people who are struggling with mental health and I was very drawn to this story because of my own mental health difficulties."

Rachel Ann on "Who's Paisley?":

"Lately it seems that people feel more alone now than ever. This film speaks to a slue of this population. Reminding them that they aren't alone. Life spirals out of control so easily, and chances are most of the people you know have been through or are going through something similar to you. This piece is important for that reason in my eyes. Every day has it's battles. It's important to shine a light on that more for this generation."

"Steve" & Visual Storytelling

Here's our previous full length short film about Paisley's father, "Steve"

Between DP Jesse Bader and myself (Richard Ulrich) we push ourselves to tell a visual story that everyone can relate to. Storytelling is our #1 passion, we replace dialogue with visuals as often as possible and we replace the subjective with what we feel is objective emotion as often as possible. Burried beneath the specific characters, actions, settings, etc. lie very human feelings and connections and this is where we both come together with our respective individual styles. It's a rare unspoken communication that we share which lets us convey exactly what the story calls for with a unique style and genuine care. With our previous short "Steve" we went from having a 20 page script to an 8 page script with no dialogue from our lead actor, that story was about Paisley's father, Steve, who is a 65 year old Vietnam Vet and I believe we managed to make a movie where everyone from any walk of life can see it and connect to someone who, at first glance, seemed unrelatable. We're excited for another opportunity to connect with people.

Visual Inspirations

Eighth Grade (2018)

20th Century Women (2016)

Patterson (2016)

Mr.Robot (TV Series)

MUSIC:

Music plays a HUGE part in the storytelling of "Who's Paisley?" our soundtrack features some recent tracks from two extremely talented local musicans.

LéPonds

Mvstermind

Wardrobe & Props & Symbolism

The wardrobe and props of "Who's Paisley?" tell a very literal visual story. Paisley begins with a full Tuxedo, she hides behind Sunglasses and carries an Electric guitar. Throughout the story she begins to get closer to the center of who she really is and with each discovery, so goes a piece of her "costume" until there's no Sunglasses to hide behind, no tuxedo coat to cover her and no electricity to cover up her truest self.

Incentives

$10

Social Media Shout Out

$25

Digital Movie Poster and Link to our Spotify Soundtrack!

You'll recieve a link to our Spotify mix feat. music from Mvstermind and Leponds as well as a Digital Copy of our movie Poster!

$50

Character and Set Designs

With a pledge of $50+ you'll recieve copies of Digital artwork / Character & Set Designs made by our fabolous Art Director Abby Dorning!

$100

Digital Copy with BTS and Special Thanks

With a pledge of $100+ in addition to a digital poster, you'll recieve a digital copy of the film upon completion with Behind the scenes footage and even better you'll see your name in the credits!

$250

Be an Extra and watch yourself at a Private Screening!

Anyone who pledges $500 or more will be invited to be an extra in the film and in addition to a private screening on the films completion. (Transportation not provided)

$500

Associate Producer

With a $500 contribution you'll become an IMDB acredited Associate Producer on "Who's Paisley?" in addition to one other incentive of your choice, you'll also be invited to a private screening of the film upon completion (transportation not provided)

$1,000

Become a Producer and Get the Behind the Scenes Experience!

With a contribution of $1000 or more you will be credited as a Producer, you'll get passes to our private screening, you'll be invited to set and you can check in on our editing process and you'll receive all former incentives!!

$1,000 to go

costs $1,000

How much would you like to pledge?

$10

Social Media Shout Out

$25

Digital Movie Poster and Link to our Spotify Soundtrack!

You'll recieve a link to our Spotify mix feat. music from Mvstermind and Leponds as well as a Digital Copy of our movie Poster!

$50

Character and Set Designs

With a pledge of $50+ you'll recieve copies of Digital artwork / Character & Set Designs made by our fabolous Art Director Abby Dorning!

$100

Digital Copy with BTS and Special Thanks

With a pledge of $100+ in addition to a digital poster, you'll recieve a digital copy of the film upon completion with Behind the scenes footage and even better you'll see your name in the credits!

$250

Be an Extra and watch yourself at a Private Screening!

Anyone who pledges $500 or more will be invited to be an extra in the film and in addition to a private screening on the films completion. (Transportation not provided)

$500

Associate Producer

With a $500 contribution you'll become an IMDB acredited Associate Producer on "Who's Paisley?" in addition to one other incentive of your choice, you'll also be invited to a private screening of the film upon completion (transportation not provided)

$1,000

Become a Producer and Get the Behind the Scenes Experience!

With a contribution of $1000 or more you will be credited as a Producer, you'll get passes to our private screening, you'll be invited to set and you can check in on our editing process and you'll receive all former incentives!!

Current Team

About This Team

Richard Louis Ulrich | Writer | Director

Richard's primary goals as a Writer/Director in film is to try and speak honestly from experience in order to tell new stories through characters that, at first glance, few would relate to, and to show that regardless of what a person goes through subjectively there's an objective human feeling we can all connect to.

Jesse Bader | Director of Photography

Jesse Reece Bader is an award winning cinematographer and photographer. Born in St. Louis, MO, Jesse realized his love for filmmaking at a young age and quickly began creating home videos with his childhood friends. While his films started off as fun and games it didn’t take long before Jesse began dedicating himself to his craft. He briefly attended St. Louis Community College-Meremac to study film, but the majority of his knowledge came from working in the field filming weddings and helping out on small independent film sets. This hands on approach is where Jesse developed a great deal of cinematic versatility and a keen sense for picking the right approach for the project at hand. Though Jesse’s style is adaptive and ever evolving, one thing remains prominent in his mind: Story. Whether it be an out of this world and fictitious piece, a down to earth passion project, or your once in a lifetime moment, it is Jesse’s sole purpose in film to find the story within and capture it. Jesse is quickly proving himself to be one of the premiere talents in the Midwest area.

Jenna McDonald | Paisley

Jenna McDonald is an actress and filmmaker, originally from the Kansas City area, and currently living in Saint Louis, Missouri. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Film Production from Webster University. Jenna is passionate about creating media about women, for women, with women.

Rachel Ann | Louise

My name is Rachel Ann and I am a 25 year old Brooklynite. I went to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy where I got my degree in Musical Theater. Since graduating, I have discovered my love for acting specifically on film. I was lucky enough to be cast as Jaqueline in both the short and feature length versions of the film “Parallel Chords”. I’ve also appeared in the short films “Glommers” and “It Takes a Video Village”. I’ve participated in a few original plays throughout New York including “28 Marchant Ave” where I played Eunice Kennedy, and “The Canary” where I played Eva Braun. Aside from acting I enjoy playing instruments, singing, writing, and traveling as much as possible. I’m just a kid trying to tell stories...

Jackie Kelly | Jo

Jackie Kelly was born in the Chicago area, and she grew up in Sleepy Hollow, Illinois, about 45 miles west of Chicago. She began acting in live theater at the age of 12. She was cast in the lead role for her first short film, The Dress (2014) which played film festivals around the world. The Dress was an Official Selection of the 2015 Melbourne Queer Film Festival, the longest running queer film festival in Australia, one of the longest running queer film festivals in the world, and the largest queer film festival in the Southern Hemisphere. At the age of 21, she was cast to play the starring role in her first feature film, In Memory Of (2018). She was also a co-writer and one of the producers on this film. Jackie Kelly is a graduate of Webster University in St. Louis, where she earned a degree in screenwriting.

Cliff Mirabella | Steve

In early his stage career in Virginia, Cliff assayed such roles as ‘The Common Man’ (A Man for All Seasons), ‘John Proctor’ (The Crucible), ‘Lieutenant Shrank’ (West Side Story), ‘Montano’ (Othello), and ‘Oliver’ (Da). After three decades away from acting, he took leading roles in St. Louis, Missouri productions of Spoon River Anthology and Hot L Baltimore. He also originated the role of ‘Jacob Marr’ in First Run Theatre’s premier of Brooklyn Bagatelle, as well as 'Shamus Malloy' in their production of the Irish comedy, The Predicament. Currently, he is focused on film, commercial and voiceover work. He has starred in dramas such as Aaron Landgraf's Richie and the Styles, and in Don Callahan's Supermen: World War, and did work on the upcoming Boom! Studios / 20th Century Fox production of The Empty Man. His commercial work includes spots for Spectracide, SSM Health, Mercy Healthcare and Aqua Pearls. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, Cliff has at turns been a journalist, videographer, private investigator, public relations specialist, employment counselor and infantry officer. As he has often said, both in and out of uniform, “Happy to be here. Proud to serve.”

Tyler Hawthorne | Producer

Tyler Hawthorne is an absurdist Filmmaker, Documentarian, Television Producer, and Anti-Political instigator. Tyler, like many others, received his education in film through STLCC - Meramec where his films received heavy criticism, pushing him towards more Avant Garde influences and a hunger for Performance Art.

Jessica Pierce | Assistant Director

Jessica Pierce is a writer, assistant director and director in the St. Louis area. A recent Webster University Grad and St. Louis International Film Festival participant, she hopes to continue

filmmaking in St. Louis and beyond.

Majo Espinosa | 2nd AD

I'm Majo Espinosa, I'm from Mexico where I was working in the pre production and production of short films, filming social events and making corporate films. I arrived to St. Louis on June of 2017 in an AuPair exchange program and right now I'm looking to get into the St. Louis film industry and keep building my expereince.

Allison Schmidt | Hair & Makeup

Allison Schmidt is a hair and makeup artist based out of St Louis. She's always had a passion for hair and especially makeup, including SFX- Special Effects Makeup. She began her career in 2008 working with commercial photography and video shoots. She has since gone on to include music videos and film work. Allison believes that when you look good, you feel good. She believes in hair and makeup as a tool to transform an individual into looking, feeling and therefore giving their absolute best.

Abby Dorning | Art Director

Abby is a freelance costume designer for film and theater. She graduated in 2015 from The Conservatory of Theater Arts at Webster, but has found herself working in film primary for the past two years. She has 8 years experience with wardrobe coordination and management, and 5 years experience with costume design and production. She has 4 years of training and experience as a draper, pattern maker, and stitcher. Learning specific skills such has corsetry, millinery, fabric painting and dying, upholstery, and costume crafts.

Kory Mccallium | Production Design

Forest Wharton | Gaffer

Sean Kilker | Boom Op | Sound Mixer

Josh Basco | Key Grip

Shannon Johnston | Script Supervisor

Kane Katubig | BTS Videographer

Drew Moore | BTS Photography

Campaign Team

Cesar Encalada

Los Angeles

Cesar Daniel Encalada is an American-Ecuadorian independent filmmaker and screenwriter from Brooklyn, New York. He graduated with a BFA in Digital Cinema Arts from Lindenwood University School of Arts, and has since written and directed numerous award wining and festival running short films and commercial projects.

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